Ferrule for holding erasers to the butt ends of pencils



Jan. 3, 1950 A. P. GA ON- FERRULE FOR HOL NG ERASERS TO THE BUTT ENDS OFPENCILS Filed March 15, 1948 .Qiiiavazqg Patented Jan. 3, 195

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FERRULE FOR HOLDING ERASERS TO THE BUTT ENDSOF PENCILS 6 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in ferrules for holding an eraseron the tip or butt end of a common lead pencil.

The main object of my invention is to provide a structure wherein theend of the ferrule may be readily broken off by the user by the simpleoperation of bending the end of the ferrule, permitting the use ofsubstantially 50% more eraser material than is normally used.

At the present time, pencils are commonly discarded when erasers areworn down to the ferrule. I am aware that others have provided ferrules,portions of which may be removed to permit the use of more erasivematerial. Faber in Patent No. 795,500 shows a paper material for thispurpose having grooves therein. When the user cuts one of these grooves,the paper material beyond it may be removed, thereby exposing moreerasive material, but this, however, requires the use of a knife, whichis not always handy and is a somewhat diflicult operation to performwithout cutting the eraser or the finger of the user.

I am also aware that others have provided ferrules made out of thinfrangible material such as tin, from which portions may be torn axiallytherefrom to permit the remainder of the portions thereof surroundingthe eraser to be removed by the hand. Such a structure is shown in thepatent to Boos, No. 1,237,013.

I have discovered, however, that if the ferrule be made of plasticmaterial of a proper type and a weakened circumferential line heprovided on said ferrule spaced from the outer end thereof and at leasttwo widely spaced axial weakened lines be provided extendinglongitudinally outwardly from said circumferential weakened line to theouter end of the cylinder, that if the end of the ferrule is merelypressed at an angle against a fixed surface that the, tip of the plasticferrule may break along said circumferential weakened line and alongsaid axial lines, thereby 1 permitting the removal of the no longerdesired end of the plastic ferrule by the simple operation of bendingsaid end of said ferrule, thereby removing said end without the use ofany cutting tool or extended tearing operation.

Further features of my invention relate to the specific structure ofgrooves or weakened lines employed byme on the end of the plasticferrule for this purpose, at least one type of which provides meanssupplemental to friction to retain the end of the eraser to the butt endof the pencil. I

These and such other objects of my invention as may hereinafter appearwill be best understood from a description of the accompanying drawingswhich illustrate embodiments thereof.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pencil equipped with my improvedferrule.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the butt end of said pencilshowing the ferrule and eraser in section and the adjacent portion ofthe pencil in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig.2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing how the outer end of theferrule may be bent downwardly against a fiat surface to cause the outerend of the ferrule to break off and into the pieces shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the weakened line orcircumferential groove I preferably employ being bent against the sharpedge of an object such as a desk edge to cause a fracture thereof.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating how the tip ofthe ferrule breaks off into two semi-cylindrical portions when bent asshown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 in which the circumferential groovein the ferrule is pressed into the eraser and preferably to a lessthickness than the wall of the ferrule.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view similar to Fig. '7 showing how the remaininghalf of the groove functions to provide a circumferential lip projectinginwardly into the eraser to retain the eraser stub in fixed position onthe pencil for further erasing.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of reference generally indicatelike parts throughout, l0 generally indicates a pencil constructed inaccordance with my invention. While my invention may be applied to amechanical pencil, if desired, I have shown it in the drawings asapplied to the butt end of a standard type of lead pencil. v

If desired, the butt end l2 of the pencil may have a reduced diameterfor receiving the inner 7 22 of a standard type of cylindrical eraser24,

that almost any type of plastic material may be 7 brought to thisconsistency.

In accordance with my invention, Iprovide a circumferential weakenedline 26 on the outer surface of the ferrule at a spaced distance 28 fromthe outer end 30 thereof. While "said weakened line 26 may comprise anywell known type of weakened line, such as spaced holes, it preferablycomprises the groove 26 shown.

The material of the ferrule underneath the groove 2% is preferably ofless thickness than the remainder of the wall of the ferrule as shown at32. I-fdesired, as in the embodiment shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the groovemay be pressed inwardly to provide a circumferential lip 3 projecting.wardly within the body of the eraser 24 to assist in retaining theeraser to the pencil I0. I also provide at leasttwo widely spaceda'ii'ial weakened lines 36, preferably diametrically spaced as shown,preferably also comprising the grooves '36 extending longitudinallyoutwardly from said circumferential weakened line '26 to the outer end35 of "said ferrule. r

' The grooves-25 and 36 may be provided in the ferrule H6 in anysuitable mariner, such as by casting, molding and cutting, etc. It isthus obvious that with this structure, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, whenthe eraser 211 becomes worn down or off to adjacent said outer end 30,as shownat 38 in Figs. 4, 5 and 8, bending pressure may be applied tosaid weakened lines or grooves and 36 to break off the plastic sections"40 of said cylinder l6 alongrsaid weakened lines 3 6 exterior of saidcircumferential weakened line '26 to expose an additional portion 41 ofsaid eraser for -use.

To remove the outer end of the ferrule, itmay be pressed and rolledagainst the flat surface of a desk '64, as shown in 4, or,-if desired,the protruding edge it of a desk may be inserted within the groove 26and the .pencil pressed and rolled against said protruding edge to causea fracture along said groove 26, as shown in Fig. 5. As said outerportion 26 becomes broken off from the lower end [4 of said ferrule l6,it is obvious that said outer end Will start to split along the grooves36 into the two semi-cylindrical portions 40 as shown in Fig. 6 and ifnot completely broken into two portions, it is obvious that anothersharp rap against any surface will complete the breakage of said end '29into the sem'i cylindrical portions l'll shown or that they can bereadily separated by the finger nail or in any othersuitable manner. Itis obvious that when so broken off,- the shortened end 38 of 'the eraserbecomes exosed for furthe'r'use' as an eraser substantially down to theline of said circumferential groove 26. If the ferrule be provided withthe inwardly projecting lip '34 of the groove 26 projecting ingroove"36,.'providing an inturned annular lip 50 biting into said eraserM'to positively retain the eraser butt 2? to 'the'pe'nciLas shown inFig; 8.

It is apparent that I have provided a novel type of ferrule, portions ofwhich may be readily broken 01f by the user without any supplementalequipment or without danger of cutting a person by a thin sharp metallicedge, to permit the use of a substantial amount more of the erasivematerial normally present in pencils and with the other advantagesexplained above.

It is understood that my invention is not limited to the specificembodiments shown and that various deviations may be made therefromwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: '1. A ferrule for holding an eraser to the butt end ofa pencil, comprising a hollow cylinder of plastic material, having theinner end adapted to be secured to the butt end of a pencil and an outerend adapted to surround and contain the inner end of a cylindricaleraser, said cylinder having a circumferential weakened line on theouter surface thereof at a spaced distance from the outer end thereofand at least two widely spaced longitudinal weakened lines on said outersurface extending longitudinally outwardly from said circumferentialweakened line to the outer end 'of said cylinden'whereby when the eraseris worn down to adjacentsaid outer end, bending pressure may be appliedto said-cylinder to break V weakened line to expose an additionalportion of tial groove to the outer end of said cylinder,

whereby when the eraser is worn down to adja-- cent said outer end,bending pressure may be applied to said cylinder to break oif plasticsections of said cylinder along said grooves beyond said circumferentialgroove to expose an additional portion of said eraser for use.

3. In combination, a pencil, a hollow cylinder of plastic materialhaving an inner end secured to the butt end of a pencil and an outer endsurroundin'g'and containing the 'inner'end of a cylindr-ical eraser,said cylinder having a circumferential weakened line on the outersurface thereof ata spaced distance from the outer end thereof and atleast two widelyspaced longitudinal weakene'd lines onsa-id outersurface extending longitudi'n'ally outwardly from said circumferentialweakened line to the outer end of said cylinder. whereby when the eraseris worn down to adjacent said outer end, bending'pressure may be -ap-'plied to said cylinder to break off plastic sections of said cylinderalong said weakened "lines beyond said circumferential weakened line toe) pos'e'an additionalportion of said eraser for use.-

4. In combination, a pencil, a hollowrcylinder of plasticmaterial havingan inner endsecured to the butt end of a pencil and an outer end surerounding and containing the inner end of a cylindrical eraser, saidcylinder having .a circumferential groove on the outer surface thereofata spaced distance from the outer end thereof and at least two widelyspaced longitudinal grooves on said outer surface extendinglongitudinally outwardly from said circumferential groove to the outerend of said cylinder, whereby when the eraser is worn down to adjacentsaid outer end, bending pressure may be applied to said cylinder tobreak off plastic sections of said cylinder along. said grooves beyondsaid circumferential groove to expose an additional portion of saideraser for use.

5. In combination, a pencil, a molded hollow cylinder of plasticmaterial having an inner end secured to the butt end of a pencil and anouter end containing the inner end of a cylindrical eraser, saidcylinder and eraser having an externally rolled in circumferentialgroove on the outer surface thereof extending into said eraser at aspaced distance from the outer end thereof, having a wall of lessthickness than the ferrule wall, and at least two widely spacedlongitudinal grooves on said outer surface extending longitudinallyoutwardly to the outer end'of said cylinder, whereby when the eraser isworn down to adjacent said outer end, bending pressure may be applied tosaid cylinder to break off plastic sections of said cylinder along saidgrooves beyond said circumferential groove to expose an additionalportion of said eraser for use and the outer edge of said brokencircumferential groove 6 may retain the eraser within the remainder ofthe broken off ferrule.

6. In combination, a pencil, a molded hollow cylinder of plasticmaterial having an inner end secured. to the butt end of a pencil and anouter end containing the inner end of a cylindrical eraser, saidcylinder and eraser having an externally rolled in circumferentialgroove on the outer surface thereof extending into said eraser at aspaced distance from the outer end thereof and at least two widelyspaced longitudinal grooves on said outer surface extendinglongitudinally outwardly to the outer end of said cylinder, whereby whenthe eraser is worn down to adjacent said outer end, bending pressure maybe applied to said cylinder to break off plastic sections of saidcylinder along said grooves beyond said circumferential groove to exposean additional portion of said eraser for use and the outer edge of saidbroken circumferential groove may retain the eraser within the remainderof the broken off ferrule.

ANDREW P. GAGNON.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Boos Aug. 14, 1917Number

